The goal of making Iowa State University more diverse starts with the search for a new inaugural position on campus: the chief diversity officer.

This was the emphasis of the town hall-style meeting that took place Feb. 18 in the Oak Room of the Memorial Union. 

The university announced its search for a chief diversity officer in 2013 after the Jackson Consulting Firm conducted a study of the university’s diversity programs and initiatives. In October of 2014, President Steven Leath appointed the chief diversity officer search committee, which is made up of ISU faculty, staff and students.

Mark Hall, senior associate at The Spelman and Johnson Group, is working with the search committee. The committee’s goal is to create and fill the new position of chief diversity officer at Iowa State. 

One of the 12 members of the chief diversity office search committee, Keith Bystrom, who is also a member of University Counsel, explained how the committee was composed of several different people from a variety of positions at Iowa State. The committee first met in October 2014, Bystrom said.

He said the process of defining and filling a new position takes time. He went on to explain that during those first few months of the search, “the committee has mostly been deciding how to proceed.”

During the meeting, Hall said The Spelman and Johnson Group and the search committee will “spend the next couple months looking for a person to fill the position.” He also said The Spelman and Johnson Group was picked out of three or four firms that were interested in helping Iowa State install a chief diversity officer.

He went on to explain how The Spelman and Johnson Group and the search committee will be having regular meetings with the goal of getting community input on the new position.

After a few minutes of outlining the information on the job search, audience members had a chance to ask questions.

Joy Busch, senior in psychology, asked what Hall meant when he said “community.” She wondered if he meant only ISU faculty and students or if the Ames community as a whole would be included in the process.

“There will be some conversation with folks in the Ames community,” Hall said. “Ames often gets a very positive response from candidates.”

ISU students said they also see the benefit of having a chief diversity officer.

“Culture is really interesting,” Busch said. “Diversity is really important to every institution.”

The search for a chief diversity officer will take months to complete because The Spelman and Johnson Group and the search committee must define the roles of the position before they can choose candidates, Bystrom said. Because the search committee must define the role that the new position will play at Iowa State, the search requires getting input from the community.

The first round of candidate interviews is scheduled for July to August and on-campus interviews in September and October. Leath has said he would like to fill the position by late fall 2015 or early spring 2016.

Another town meeting will take place Feb. 19 from 10:10 to 11 a.m. in the Cardinal Room of the Memorial Union. 

Additional town meetings will be held through April for the university community to provide input.